Thought for the Day

[jhatpro]

What you do the first ten minutes you put the mouthpiece on your face will determine how you sound the rest of the day.
_________________
Jim Hatfield

"The notes are there - find them.” Mingus

2021 Martinus Geelan Custom
2005 Bach 180-72R
1965 Getzen Eterna Severinsen
1946 Conn Victor
1998 Scodwell flugel
1986 Bach 181 cornet
1954 Conn 80A cornet
2002 Getzen bugle

[huntman10]

Then, all is lost!
_________________
huntman10
Collector/Player of Fine (and not so fine) Brass Instruments including
Various Strads, Yammies, Al Hirt Courtois, Schilkes,
Selmer 25, Getzen Eternas, Kanstuls (920 Pic, CG)
Martin Custom Large Bore, Lots Olds!, Conns, etc.

[kehaulani]

[Richard III]

Usually the best I sound is right away. Fatigue later degrades it a bit. A brief rest and all is good again.
_________________
Richard

King 1130 Flugabone
King 12C mouthpiece

[JayKosta]

[Billy B]

[Al Innella]

How you feel today depends on what you did yesterday.

[Halflip]

Tomorrow is another day.
_________________
"He that plays the King shall be welcome . . . " (Hamlet Act II, Scene 2, Line 1416)

"He had no concept of the instrument. He was blowing into it." -- Virgil Starkwell's cello teacher in "Take the Money and Run"

[tptptp]

Sometimes at first it all feels wrong. Sometimes I can relax, don't swing so hard, reassess, and things get better. It can be like golf...The harder I swing, the less well the mechanics come together.
_________________
Craig Mitchell

[Seymor B Fudd]

[jhatpro]

Unless my ten minutes begins with some soft buzzing and continues with some very soft long tones my sound will get thin and anything above the staff will sound pinched.
_________________
Jim Hatfield

"The notes are there - find them.” Mingus

2021 Martinus Geelan Custom
2005 Bach 180-72R
1965 Getzen Eterna Severinsen
1946 Conn Victor
1998 Scodwell flugel
1986 Bach 181 cornet
1954 Conn 80A cornet
2002 Getzen bugle

[stuartissimo]

Generally, if I don't find my good embouchure in the first few minutes, I call it a day and put the horn back in its case. Trying to make things work when they don't only leads to reinforcing improper technique habits for me.
_________________
1975 Olds Recording trumpet
1997 Getzen 700SP trumpet
1955 Olds Super cornet
1939 Buescher 280 flugelhorn
AR Resonance mouthpieces

[steve0930]

Hi
I used to think "Good days" and "Bad days" on the trumpet and you find out which in the first 10 minutes. Then I found Jim Pandolfi's idea that "It's not good embouchure that makes Resonance but the other way round - Resonance makes good embouchure."
I can't remember the last time I thought "Bad day" I just think some days I need to focus more on Resonance to coax out Good Embouchure.

But hell.. what do I know.. I am absolutely sure of all that Post here I am in the bottom 10% in terms of proficiency on the Horn...

cheers Steve
_________________
My Number 1 supporter
http://langdons.com/images/langdon-image.jpg

[JayKosta]

[trumphat]

I seem to remember a quote from Armando Ghitalla, "If I only played when it felt good, it would be about once every two weeks".

[stuartissimo]

[Seymor B Fudd]

I think that our opening poster has a valid point:
Infinite things affect our daily state. Some day you wake up, process your breakfast, wash and what not and then you sit down in order to play the first tones on your horn. And notice that the slurs do not run as easily as they did yesterday. Hmm, maybe I will have to warm up a little longer. Yet your lips feel wooden. Unresponsive.
And so on.

As I see it our potential skills do not go away all of a sudden. What you have learned, you have learned. You are basically the same person from day to day.

Unless something has happened.
Such as: you had a terrible night, didn´t sleep; you practiced too much yesterday thus in some way hurting you chops; likeways you took that high Eb while pressing far too hard - during the big band rehearsal (or as we say in the brass band you blew the tyre and played on the rim); were involved in a car accident so you are still shaken (if not stirred); the transition from night circulation to waking state circulation took a little longer; btw probably behind the fact that some people (like me) just can´t play that well too early in the morning.

And so on. And what not.
_________________
Cornets: mp 143D3/ DW Ultra 1,5 C
Getzen 300 series
Yamaha YCRD2330II
Yamaha YCR6330II
Getzen Eterna Eb
Trumpets:
Yamaha 6335 RC Schilke 14B
King Super 20 Symphony DB (1970)
Selmer Eb/D trumpet (1974)

[weeeeve]

I attended a clinic with Doc Severinsen back in the 1980s. I remember him saying that when he's warming up, and when he begins his practice, he tries play with a perfect embouchure and technique. And he doesn't worry so much about what it sounds like, because it oftentimes doesn't sound very good. And then, once he's on the gig, he doesn't pay attention to his technique; he does whatever he needs to do to sound good.

(As far as I could tell, he had pretty good technique on the gig, too.)


_________________
Steven Laurent

Bach Strad Model 72
Holton Firebird

My music: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5vmwM185PWOnMCC1I8Cwjr

[JayKosta]

[jengstrom]